The present invention relates in general to container closures and closure assemblies that include a nestable and extendable spout. More specifically, the present invention relates to the addition of a thicker material section to the wall of the spout such that the spout can be deflected and set in a desired direction. In another embodiment of the present invention, a flexible, tamper-evident portion is added to a closing cap and is shaped as an arcuate band and fabricated as an integral portion of the closing cap.
Container closures and closure assemblies of the type generally described herein often include some tamper-evident feature incorporating a plurality of frangible elements. One such product has been offered by Rieke Corporation of Auburn, Ind., under its FLEXSPOUT® trademark. This product includes a tamper-evident cap and a closure body with a nestable and extendable spout. The tamper-evident cap threads onto the threaded end of the spout and the cap must be removed in order to gain access to the contents of the container (drum) via the interior of the spout. In one arrangement the closure body is received by a raised surrounding (annular) wall that defines the container opening and when used on a metal drum end, the closure includes an annular retaining member that fits over an outer wall portion of the closure body and, by crimping, secures the outer wall portion to the surrounding wall that defines the container opening. In other arrangements that are suitable for the closure assembly of the present invention, different styles of containers and openings are used. The closure assembly construction further includes a series of frangible elements that connect a pair of bail handles that are used to extend the spout with the remainder of the cap. When a plastic drum or container receives a FLEXSPOUT® closure, the tamper-evident cap includes an outer annular portion that snaps over an outer wall portion of the closure body and secures the outer wall portion to the surrounding wall that defines the container opening. A series of frangible elements connects the outer annular portion of the tamper-evident cap with the remainder of the cap body, principally with a pair of bail handles that are used to extend the spout.
Over the years, as others have tried to imitate the Rieke FLEXSPOUT® closure, the market has provided more choices to consumers, but at a cost. Some of the flexible closing spout imitations do not provide design reliability and predictability. The result is the possibility for some of the tamper-evident frangible elements to be broken at the time of the capping operation. Once customers learn that the frangible elements can be broken without a tampering attempt, these customers begin to pay less attention to the status of the closure. This in turn runs the risk of compromising the efficacy of using frangible elements, at least in the minds of the end user consumers. In other instances with the imitation closures, the frangible elements are hard to see and difficult to determine if one or more of these frangible elements are broken.
In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a tamper-evident portion, shaped as an arcuate band, that begins in a tucked and generally concealed orientation by being deflected downwardly in between the closing cap and an outer portion of the spout. This tamper-evident band is then deployed at the time of initial opening so that a majority of the band including its upper surface are visible and this in turn provides a way to alert the end user, for example, of any tampering attempt. This tamper-evident band replaces the use of any frangible elements as the only means of determining whether or not a tampering attempt has been made. Further, there is no risk that the capping operation could ever deploy the tucked in tamper-evident band. As a result, the end user can rely on the closure status as an absolute guarantee for alerting the end user of any tampering attempt. Any attempt by an unauthorized individual to raise the bail handles of the closing cap in order to either remove the closing cap and/or extend the spout will pull the tamper-evident band (portion) out of its tucked and generally concealed initial orientation and this tamper-evident band will be visible to the end user, putting that end user on notice that some tampering attempt may have been made.
An added benefit of the present invention is the ability to use the surface of the tamper-evident band as a marking or embossing surface for some type of message, warning, or alert. Due to the tucked position of the tamper-evident band, as it is initially assembled, this message is not visible and remains concealed until the tamper-evident band is deployed (i.e., pulled out of its tucked position). The type of message, warning, or alert that can be applied to the upper surface of the tamper-evident band is only limited by the surface area, taking into consideration the character height and spacing.
A further feature of the present invention is the addition of a thicker section of material as part of the extendable spout that functions as a memory band. This memory band allows the extended spout to be flexed or bent in a desired direction and then stay there, in that selected orientation, similar in structure and function to how a hospital straw, for example, is able to be bent or flexed in a desired direction or orientation and then remain in that orientation. When a vented closure is used, similar to the structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,078, issued Oct. 21, 1986 to Hamman et al., the flexing or bending of the spout in a desired direction provides an added benefit. The bending or flexing of the spout into the desired direction for discharge of the contents of the container puts into play only those venting ears that are advantageous to the actual dispensing and takes the other venting ears out of play. This in turn yields a larger dispensing opening and therefore a faster flow rate for the outflow or dispensing of product from the container. The outflow of fluid product from the drum or container is still glug-free due to the fact that some of the venting ears are still used and these venting ears that are in play provide an adequate path and sufficient flow area for air based upon the exiting flow rate. The improvements provided by the present invention can be used together as well as independently.